The Final Goodbye
by fanviki
Summary: I really hated the goodbye between Carter and Abby in season 11, so here's my version of it.


Carter walked into the lounge, opening his locker he started emptying it   
out. First came his stethoscope, he remembered the day he took it from Dr.  
Greene's locker. He folded it up ad put it into his bag. Most of the things  
from there were already at home but just some papers he knows he's had there  
forever.

He picked up the first thing there, it was a picture, he recognized from the   
Christmas party his first year in the ER. Everyone was there. Dr. Benton, Dr.  
Greene, Susan, Carol, Doug, and a few others who joined in there. Carter  
studied himself in there. He looked so young, and so naive, as he remembered  
himself his first year at County. He put that into his bag moving onto some  
more things.

The next thing he picked up was a blank envelope in which was a letter. He  
opened it and started reading it. He recognized it as the letter that he  
wrote when he was an intern under Dr. Greene. As he read it he chuckled  
remembering those days. When he finished he folded it up again and put it  
back into the envelope, and placed it into his jacket pocket.

The next thing he found was an envelope from a photo developing place. Carter  
opened the envelope and took out the pictures. He started going through them,  
looking at each one. He smiled at the memories of them. These were some  
pictures from when him and Abby were still dating. A few ER gatherings, and a  
few of their own moments in there too.

Carter had no idea what to do with the pictures. He didn't just want to throw  
them out, but tacking them to Africa with him, he wasn't so sure Kem would  
like that very much. Then suddenly he got an idea. Carter took one picture   
from the Christmas party of the year him and Abby were dating, and slid it  
into his inside pocket, at least now he had one memory with him. He then  
looked over at the locker next to him, with the name Lockhart on it. He still  
remembered the combination, opening it, he slid the pictures, on the top  
shelf, where he knew she left her stethoscope at the end of the day.

He then packed away a few of his last things. Carter shut his locker, looking  
at it, realizing this might very well be the last time he is in this ER, and  
in this lounge. He traced his name over with his finger and walked out of the  
lounge, heading for where he knew the interns were working on their charts,  
with the letter in his hand.

He handed Abby the letter with a smile to her, and she smiled back, both of  
them realizing this was their goodbye. He waved a final time walking out of  
the room, and out of County for good.

Abby held the envelope in her hand, biting on her bottom lip when Neela's   
voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"Are you going to read it?" She asked her.

"Hmmm." Looking at Neela, then back at Ray looking at the letter, she   
realized something. She couldn't just leave it at that. She couldn't let  
this be their goodbye, after everything they went through. "Um, actually I'll  
be right back." She said getting up from her seat, setting the letter on the  
bed, and walking out of the trauma room, leaving a puzzled Neela and Ray   
behind her.

Carter walked out of the ER. Looked back once more, tacking a mental picture   
of it all. he then heard something coming from the other side of the bay, and  
saw Morris sitting there.

"Morris?" Carter asked to make sure that this was him.

Morris lifted his head looking at Carter "I think I'm gonna barf." he said  
lowering his head back down.

"You set the tone Morris." carter said remembering when Mark had said this to   
him.

"Huh?"

"Never mind." Carter said chuckling and walking away when he heard a voice  
behind him."

"Is that it?" Carter turned around looking to whom the voice belonged to,  
seeing Abby standing there brought a smile to his face.

"Got a plane to catch." Carter replied, making his way closer to her as she

took a few steps toward him.

"And that's how you're gonna leave, that's all I get after six years." Abby  
asked trying to keep her voice leveled when her heart was breaking. She  
couldn't believe that this was going to be the goodbye she would say to her   
once best friend, lover and mentor.

Carter smiled gently at her and now they were standing a few steps away from  
one another. "I thought any other way would be too complicated."

"Yeah, I guess." After a pause she spoke again. "I'm really gonna miss you."  
She said to him. He looked at her with the biggest and saddest smile, and   
dropped his bag beside him, tacking a step toward Abby he opened his arms and  
she stepped into them. Her arms went around his shoulder, and his around her  
waist, holding her close. She sniffed in his scent as a tear rolled down her  
cheek, which he felt on his neck, trickling down.

"I'm gonna miss you too. You mean so much to me Abby, that I didn't even know  
where to begin, which is why I just figured it would be best to leave it this  
way." He hugged her closer and she nodded into his shoulder.

They slowly let go looking deep into each other's eyes, her hands still on his  
shoulders and his lightly around her waist she looked into his eyes, and  
without even thinking she gently leaned her mouth to his, in a friendly  
goodbye kiss. In a few seconds they let go both smiling at each other with a   
shy smile.

"You should get going." Abby said smiling at him.

"Yeah, look I just want you to know, that in a way I will always love you.  
You have been such an amazing friend and everything to me, and I am what I am  
because of you. Thank you." He finished.

"You're welcome. And thank you, for everything, with the tuition and I mean   
Eric and Maggie, I just..." She tailed off.

"I know. Goodbye, Abby." He said tacking a few steps away from her and  
putting his bag back on his shoulder.

"Goodbye, John." She replied with a sad smile and he returned it.

He started walking away from her, and was almost out of the bay when he   
suddenly turned back and looked at the ER, and then at Abby. Seeing her start  
to walk away he called after her. "You set the tone, Abby." She turned around  
and looked at him with a confused look, not completely sure of what she heard  
"You're a great doctor." He finished and with that he made his way out of the  
ER, leaving with Abby looking after him for a few minutes until she walked  
back inside.

She couldn't believe Carter had said this to her. She knew that this is what  
Mark had said to him when he left. And she remembers when Carter had told her   
this, and the expression on his face, the proud look he had that Mark had  
actually put so much faith in him, which is how she felt right about now.

Abby walked back into the lounge and saw Neela and Ray in there ready to   
leave. She didn't know that they had both seen everything that happened  
through the window in the lounge.

"You ok?" Neela asked gently.

"Yeah, let's get out of here." She walked to her locker opening it she  
noticed that a photo envelope fell from the top shelf. Abby bend down to pick  
it up as Neela and Ray kept looking at her. She opened the envelope and   
looking inside she saw a bunch of pictures. She let out a sigh as she saw  
where they're from.

Neela and Ray were now both standing behind her looking at the same picture  
she was. It was a picture of her and John when they were dating. It was a   
picture a photographer took the day the left quarantine and were on the  
beach. In the picture they were both lying in the sand gazing into each other  
and smiling.

"When was this?" Ray asked.

"Um, this was when we left quarantine after two weeks of being in the ER,  
that's when we got together." Abby answered with her eyes glistening. She  
couldn't believe Carter had left her this.

"You've had this all this time." Neela asked her.

"No, I guess Carter did and he put it in my locker."

"How did he get in?" Ray asked.

"He knows my combination." Abby answered, flicking through the rest of the   
pictures. When she stopped at one of most of the ER at the Christmas party at  
Susan's, she stopped, and pulled the picture out, handing the stack to Neela,  
she walked over to the cupboard by the coffee machines. She took a few pieces  
of tape and put the picture on there, smoothing it down.

Abby walked back to her locker as Neela handed her the pictures. She took off  
her stethoscope and put it on the top shelf, along with her lab coat which  
she hung in her locker. Abby took out her jacket and put the pictures in it's  
pocket.

All three of them walked out and parted ways with a few goodbyes, and  
comments about the day's work. As Abby walked away from the bay, all she kept  
thinking about was that the next day she walks in there, Carter will not be   
there to greet her.

Well this was just one chapter, which I've had in my mind since the season   
finale in may, but I only just out it into writing. I hope you guys like it.


End file.
